Teddy's Present
by shockin'blueeyes
Summary: Teddy woke up with a startle. He had had the same dream again, and this time it hadn't left him with a pleasant feeling. Shaking his head, he got up. Today he had more important things to think of. After all, it was his seventeenth birthday


Written for Flitwick's prompt of the day with the prompt 'Happy birthday son'

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, as much as I wish I did.

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Teddy Lupin rolled out of bed and landed with a thud on the hard wooden floor, waking up with a startle. He stifled a groan and got up on his knees, rubbing his sore forehead. He had had another time the same dream, in which he was being cooed by a purple haired woman and a man with shaggy brown hair. His parents. He knew it wasn't actually a dream, but it escaped him how he was able to remember something that happened when he was only a few months old. Anyway, the dream was a recurrent one, and though sometimes it left him in a pleasant state, other times, most of them, the dream left him with a bitter and longing feeling in his chest. Today was one of those days, and as he looked around the room to pick up some discarded clothing and throw it on, he couldn't help glancing at the photograph standing in his bedside table:

A pale, shabby looking man with brown hair was circling with his arms the waist of a much smaller and significantly younger woman, who seemed to like clashing colours and had violent purple hair. They were standing in a muggle street, and behind them two houses sported the names of number 11 and number 13.

Teddy sighed, picking up some trousers and a shirt, dropping it again when he saw it wasn't his.

'God, Wood, can't you tidy up your things?' he asked out loud. A loud snore came from the other bed. Teddy shook his head and bent down again, picking up a shirt that was his.

After he showered, he practically jumped down the stairs in excitement. He couldn't wait to get to breakfast. When he had nearly arrived to the portrait hole, he was almost knocked out by a blond mass hugging him.

'Happy birthday, Teddy!' fifteen year old Victoire smiled up at him, and he ruffled her hair. She immediately scoffed and released him, trying to put his hair into place at once.

'Care to join for breakfast?' he asked, and she nodded.

'Yeah, of course! You aren't seventeen everyday!' Teddy smiled more widely.

'Well, technically you are seventeen for a year, but…' Victoire smacked him in the arm.

'Let's go' they walked trough the still empty corridors to the Dining Hall. When they passed by the memorial plaque in the Great Hall Teddy glanced at the names, and saw instantly two small names carved near the base.

_Remus John Lupin_

_Nymphadora Lupin_

He smiled sadly, remembering the dream.

'Are you okay?' asked Victoire, and he shrugged.

'Guess so' Victoire looked at him, but didn't say anything.

As soon as they sat in the Gryffindor table, owls began to fly towards them, and package after package, left a rather big pile in front of Teddy. He began to open them eagerly, his breakfast completely forgotten. Some other people who were taking breakfast looked at him curiously, but he didn't mind them. They should get used by now to his hear changing colours.

When all the presents were opened and the wrapping scattered around the table, all the Weasley came to breakfast.

'Oh, we missed it!' moaned James and Fred at the same time. Teddy bit back a laugh. It was a tradition in the Weasley-Potter clan to open birthday presents in front of everyone. Just then, a tiny brown owl swooped past them and landed in front of Teddy. He was holding a brown package, the size of a shoe box. Teddy quickly took it, but stopped short when the owl pocked him.

'Ouch! What?' he asked. The owl hooted at the package, and Teddy noticed an envelope stuck to it's side.

He opened it, and immediately recognised his grandmother's letter. How strange, she had already sent him a present

_Dear Teddy,_

_Please don't open the box in public, wait until you're alone. It's really important. _

_Happy birthday!_

Teddy frowned, but said nothing. He quickly gathered the presents and got up, clutching the brown box in his hand.

'Where are you going?' asked Roxanne, currently the only one who didn't have her mouth full of food.

'Umm, I'm going to leave all this in the dorm and wake Evan up, or he'll miss breakfast.' He practically ran up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. He had no intention in waking Evan Wood, he was probably up already, doing laps in the Quidditch field. All he wanted to do was to open the mystery package, but he didn't dare do it in the common room. Someone might enter while he was at it.

He locked the door of his dorm and almost jumped a foot in the air when he heard a voice behind him. He turned to see Evan still in his bed.

'Why are you locking the door?' Teddy quickly hid the package behind his back. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone yet.

'Umm, nothing.'

Try as he might, it was one in the morning when he finally got some time alone. During the day people kept popping up wherever he went to wish him a happy birthday, and the only moment he got relatively alone was when he went to the bathroom. When he had tried to go to bed early, Albus had vehemently refused and instead had stuck Teddy in a game of Exploding Snap with all his cousins, which was more or less half the Gryffindor house. Neville had had to come in at half past twelve and confiscate the stack of Exploding Snap so they could go to bed. And it was another half hour until Wood and the rest of his dorm mates fell asleep. Now he was sitting by the window, his hair the blue he liked, and the box resting on his lap.

Glancing around to make sure everyone was asleep, he opened the box. Inside was a stack of photos and letters. Curious, he opened the first one. It was yellowish, as if it was written long ago.

_Dear Teddy,_

_Happy birthday, son. I'm sorry your mother and I weren't there with you, but if you're reading this it means we're dead, as you surely know._

_I'm really sorry you didn't grow up with us, and I hope Andromeda and Harry are taking care of you. I just wanted you to know that it wasn't our intention to leave you alone, and that we died to ensure you had a good life, as I hope you have._

_The moment I saw your face was the happiest moment of my life, and I know that whatever you do, you'll make me and your mother proud._

_Inside this box you'll find photos of me and your mother, as well as a similar letter to mine. I hope you enjoy your present._

_With love, _

_Remus J. Lupin_

Teddy felt the tears run freely down his cheeks, but he couldn't do anything more than clutch the letter until it was crumpled, and stare at the photos, in which the faces of his parents smiled up at him.

At that moment, he could have sworn he felt a hand on his shoulder, but when he turned around, he only saw the reflection of the Hogwarts grounds in the window, and the full moon shining down at him.

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Well, it didn't go as planed, but I don't have the heart to change it. Hope you liked it!


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